Lausanne Jardins 2024 - Between Water and Us

Lausanne Jardins welcomes its new edition with its feet in the water. On the program, for the June 15th opening, all are invited for guided tours with the teams of gardeners (or garden designers, or landscape architects) and a dinner-party at the Théâtre de Vidy followed by a festive evening.

Some forty gardens will be afloat or on the water’s edge, as you stroll through the liquid realm. A giraffe observes the eddies of the Chamberonne delta and stretches its neck in search of companions to inhabit her. In the Parc Bourget, a fountain springs up from the ground. Is it a burst water pipe? Straw islands welcome those wishing to cast off their moorings and splash around clear water. For the more athletic, plant-filled water lines are available for their exploits. There are also long walks on the water to enjoy the scenery, as well as gardening on the roof of the Bellerive swimming pool from where to admire the panorama of the lake.

Water - liquid, evaporated, used, sublimated - is the guest of honor of Lausanne Jardins, and can be discovered in all its forms. Here and there, the gardens of the 2024 edition celebrate its presence, including through dance, through a path that runs from west to east along the shores of Lake Geneva. They are the result of an international competition, but also of the imagination of the city’s gardeners, students from the CEPM (Centre d’enseignement professionnel de Morges), the ECAL (Ecole cantonale d’art de Lausanne), the HEPIA (Haute école du paysage, d’ingénierie et d’architecture de Genève), the OST (Ostschweizer Fachhochschule de Rapperswil-Jona) and the EPFL (Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne). The EPFL will simultaneously be hosting an exhibition at Archizoom: Water designs.

Guided tours organized by the Lausanne Jardins 24 team tell stories of water for young and old alike. Meanwhile, Sauvageons en ville and Collectif Affluent get wet to discover the secrets of this resource. It’s an all-water program that requires you to don your swimsuit to discover underwater flora with the Association de Sauvegarde du Léman. 

What is a sponge city? What has become of the rivers that once flowed through Lausanne? What does the future hold for the shores of Lake Geneva around Lausanne? What role does water play in tempering city climates? And where does toilet water go? With the theme "Between Water and Us", the cultural event Lausanne Jardins sets itself to the challenge of changing our perception of water in the city and transforming our relationship with this resource. Let’s all go on the water!